This invention relates to an improved lightweight hand-held cutting apparatus for cutting and trimming vegetation such as hedges, bushes, and the like. The preferred embodiment is in the form of a single handled, lightweight hand-held rotary cutting device which is safe to the user and to those others who may be nearby. The cutting apparatus is provided with self-contained collection means for receiving the cut vegetation.
The prior art is profuse with attempts to provide a safe, reliable, portable cutting apparatus. Some prior art devices utilize reciprocating metal cutting blades and other use rotating metal and/or flexible cutting blades. Many of the prior art attempts display the disadvantage in that they are not as safe nor as efficient as the instant invention. The user of the prior art devices can be both laborious, time consuming and more importantly, unsafe.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,040 discloses a rotary hedge cutter which utilizes a plurality of individual cutting teeth, all of which rotate in the same plane. This type of device will at best cut vegatation and at worst, hack vegetation. It suffers the further disadvantage in that is is almost completely incapable of preventing cut vegetation from being discharged in a dangerous manner which could cause significant injury to persons in the area. Because of the design of the cutting teeth, the cut vegetation cannot be directed to a receiving chamber such as a bag.
The comments set forth above can also be directed to the prior art device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,871,606. One difference being that this device does teach the use of cutting guides for separating the vegetation prior to cutting.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,854 also teaches a rotary hedge trimmer which utilizes a rotating blade of the type usually found in conventional lawnmowers. This invention also discloses the use of finger guides for separating the vegetation, but it too suffers from the same disadvantages set forth above. It does not cut the vegetation into a fine residue and cannot be used in a situation where the user would want to cause the cut vegetation to be delivered to a collector.